Much has been written about the revolutions in communication and business caused by the Internet and the World Wide Web (the “Web”). The Internet and Web make it possible for people around the world to rapidly and inexpensively send messages and access information on almost any topic.
Using an e-mail system, a user can access the Internet, type a message and an address and have that message delivered almost instantly to the recipient's e-mail system anywhere in the world. Digital documents, pictures, sound recordings, spread sheets, video and even computer programs can be attached to an e-mail message and sent to the computer of a designated recipient. Consequently, e-mail provides an incredible medium in which information can be communicated.
In addition to its private uses, e-mail has an equal or greater use in supporting commercial communication. Employees and officers within a business organization may use e-mail to communicate with each other in completing their tasks. Similarly, e-mail may be used to communicate with people at other business organizations to, for example, negotiate contracts, place orders, request information, etc.
Business and other organizations also use e-mail to communicate with clients, customers, potential clients, patrons, potential patrons, etc. (referred to hereinafter collectively as “clients”). Business and other organizations may collect or purchase the e-mail addresses of clients so that e-mail messages can be provided to those clients. Such messages may, for example, advise the client of new products or services being offered, advise the client of reductions in price or other special deals regarding the organization's products and services, request information from or about the client, or educate the client about the organization and/or its products or services.
Businesses and other organizations can also provide such information to clients through a web-site on the Web. At a typical web-site, the client may access information about the organization, its products or services, its personnel, job opportunities, its policies, etc. However, it is a challenge to anticipate all the questions clients will have and organize the information on a web-site so that the information the client desires is readily locatable. If the web-site fails to contain the information desired, or the client cannot find the information on the web-site, an opportunity to develop a relationship with that client will be lost.
Consequently, the web-sites of many businesses and other organizations provide the capability to generate and send e-mail messages to the organization. Thus, if the client using the web-site is unable to obtain the information he or she desires from the web-site, that client can generate an e-mail message to the organization requesting the specific information the client requires. The organization then has the opportunity to respond and foster its relationship with that client.
While incredibly valuable and useful to business and other organizations, this mechanism of interfacing with clients is complicated by the world-wide nature of the Web. Clients may be accessing the organization's web-sites and generating e-mail messages in many languages around the world. Consequently, to provide adequate customer service, the organization must have some means of responding to each client in that client's language and with the information required.
Consequently, there is a need in the art for a system and method of effectively routing e-mail messages generated by clients at an organization's web-site so that the client can be efficiently responded to in his or her own language and by an agent of the organization knowledgeable about the product, service or other aspect of the organization about which the client has written.